Witches Going to Their Sabbath
| Witches Going to Their Sabbath | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Luis Ricardo Falero |
| Year | 1878 |
| Medium | Oil on poplar wood |
| Dimensions | 145,4 cm × 117,5 cm (572 in × 463 in) |
Witches going to their Sabbath, or The Witches' Sabbath (Spanish: Brujas yendo al Sabbath)[1] is a painting by the Spanish Luis Ricardo Falero, made in 1878. It is currently in a private collection.[2]
Description
The painting shows a group of witches, almost all naked, flying to participate in a Sabbath, a meeting place where black magic rituals and orgies were performed. Other creatures associated with witchcraft also appear, such as a bat, a goat, and a black cat. Among the various figures, a group in the foreground stands out, consisting of two witches, one of whom is riding a goat and the other is an old witch who is holding on to one of the goat's horns and leaning on a young witch with red hair (who in turn is clinging to a wizard). On the right side of the painting are three other sinister creatures: the skeleton of a pelican (a symbol of death in Egyptian tradition) and a skeletal living human corpse and a salamander (a spirit of fire according to alchemists).[3]
The work follows a spiral layout, due to the rotating rhythm of the characters against the background.[3]
The painting has very uniform tones and, despite being set at night, there is a lot of light, thanks to the moon.[3]
Falero was known for his paintings depicting witches in a sensual manner, often drawn astride their broomsticks, and this painting gives the viewer a sense of ecstasy due to the women's spinning flight. [4]Such paintings were very successful in Victorian England, as the public was interested in esoteric and occult themes, which were appreciated by the decadent taste of the time.[2]
References
- ^ Croce, Edoardo (2020-04-02). Vissi d'Arte (in Italian). Youcanprint.
- ^ a b "Brujas yendo al sabbath - Luis Ricardo Falero". HA! (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 2024-09-21. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
- ^ a b c "Brujas yendo al Sabbath" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
- ^ "INICIO - Sara Rubayo - Acercándote la Historia del Arte". Sara Rubayo - Acercándote la Historia del Arte. (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 2024-06-12. Retrieved 2025-09-13.